It is nearly evening, and we are moving toward our last destination before I need to return to the mansion for the party.
We have already visited one destination and stayed in it longer than we wanted. It was a little crowded, but with diplomatic credentials, we were able to cut through the crowd and get to look at them.
I wish I had more time. Even a day is not enough to completely look at the museum.
It was an art museum, with extremely expensive art. Many sculptures, paintings, and other art pieces have been made by famous artists. Some of them, were very high-leveled.
I have seen many of them because of my father’s influence, but the pieces there topped everything I have seen in the empire.
I had asked Count Darrow to build a public museum to boost tourism, but he was utterly uninterested. He wants only trade, and earn as much money for himself and his nephew before the city gets destroyed.
He had never said that explicitly, but shown by his behavior. He believes it will be Navr who was going to destroy the city; these words, he had said himself.
He is not wrong, seeing 95% of the time. It was Navr who had done the deed.
Everybody thinks that and knows, the city had around a decade before the region will have enough population and big enough armies for Navr to send its horde for the harvest.
It could also do it sooner, but I hope it will not.
There are a few things I have to do and till that happens. I hope Navr doesn’t release its infamous horde at the Renwell region.
I do not want a lot of time; three years would be enough for me to have enough wealth to move me and my business to a big city, like Namdar. Where I would be able to carve a business in a safe environment.
“Sir, we have reached the Bone Market,” informed the driver said as the carriage moved through the stone arch.
I looked through the window and couldn’t help but get surprised. It is so different from the other areas.
The shops are lined up in perfect symmetry, with much fewer people than in other market areas. There are still many people, but it is not crowded and most look like tourists with a sense of adventure.
It is a place that will horrify most people. Even those who entered Navr wouldn’t come here.
“My god, the bones!” said Ina, looking at the bone sculptures, that are in front of some shops. They are beautiful, especially the ones that are moving, I have never seen something like it.
I have seen bone art before, on Earth. Many cultures have them; from Europe to Africa.
While on Earth, most modern people may think it is creepy, but they will accept it. Here, bones are related to necromancy and people will stay far as away from them as possible.
Only in a necromantic kingdom, such a scene could be seen.
Soon, the carriage stopped, and Rob opened the door. He is a middle-aged man with thick brown hair.
“You can stay inside if you want,” I said to Ina. She is a little shaken with the bones and I wouldn’t blame her.
“No, I will come,” she said, shaking her head, and followed behind me.
“This is a bone market, also known as Hris’masl, in the old tongue. It is one of the most strategic places in the whole city, half of the bone horrors, that our armies use has made her,” said Rob, and pointed at the shops.
At the first shop, a man in his thirties working on a small piece of bone, with small instruments.
I have not come here to watch the bone arts that some shops are selling, but to see the bone creations that fight in undead hordes. They are dangerous and crafted in places like this.
This market could say to be an industrial complex to create bone creations, and, unlike most defense complexes, they did not keep this one hidden.
They do not need to. There are many other secret facilities; they need to keep hidden from people.
Soon, we stopped in front of another shop, where a beautiful statue of bone was placed in front of it. It is of a naked woman; she is sitting on a stone, looking ahead with longing eyes.
“It reminds me of the mermaid fountain we had in front of the establishment,” said Ina.
As I heard the words, I also started to see the similarities, especially the longing gaze. Though the expression on the bone sculpture looks a lot more genuine than it had looked in the mermaid.
Hun!
We were looking at it when suddenly our gaze got attracted by something shocking. Ina gasped in shock and gripped my hand tightly, but did not move from her spot as she looked ahead at the marvel or horror depending on one's gaze.
It had attracted the eyes of everyone in the market, including mine. It is for such a thing; I have come to this market.
A few hundred meters from me, a young man who looked to be in his early twenties, riding a beast on the street. It is not a live monster he is riding, but an utterly beautiful creation of bones.
He is riding a big tiger made of bones; it is a work of art, made from thousands of pieces of delicately carved bones.
The thing that amazed me the most is the movement of the bone tiger.
They are smooth and graceful, like that of a real tiger, even better than of a real tiger.
It did not seem to be for a show only; those purple color bone claws looked unnaturally sharp and I have no doubt about them cutting through my claws, like butter.
“This isn’t normal, right?” I asked my guide. I have read about the bone creations, and this is not a standard bone creation. They are not this complex. They have less than a hundred pieces, while this one had over a thousand easily.
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“No, it is not. This is a special-grade bone creation,” the guide replied, sounding impressed.
“Do you know who that is?” I asked, looking at the young man riding the bone tiger.
A faint hesitation appeared on Rob’s face for a moment. “Ranhas Wale. Top student of Jalrux Academy,” he replied finally.
“That bone tiger seemed quite powerful!” I said and pride appeared on his face.
“It is. Ranhas was able to kill seven people with that tiger. All were Level 20 and above, with the leader being Level 25,” informed Rob, and Ina shuddered visibly hearing that.
I barely hold myself back; this graceful bone feline is not something against which I could contend.
It would take less than five seconds for it to tear me apart. Thankfully, special grade bone creations are very few in the horde; some didn’t even have them.
As they are not only expensive, but not every necromancer could handle them. One needs to be very talented to control such complicated bone creations. If such creations appeared on the battlefield, their controller instantly became a top target.
I kept looking at the bone tiger as it walked past me, committing every aspect of it to my memory.
I never wish to fight something like it, but if ever comes to that, I want to be ready.
With the tiger disappearing, we moved on to the market. I only glanced at shops selling sculptors and other things and focused more on the ones that created the bone creations.
“Unfortunately, you can’t enter inside the stores, Mister Silver. Even locals like me would need special permission to enter inside,” said the guide.
“Such a regret,” I said and sighed.
I had asked him whether I could go inside the workshops, where the bone creation was being made. I know, I couldn’t, but I still wanted to try. It turned out I could not.
They would definitely not let a diplomat inside. I would need to be satisfied watching from the windows.
Though those working in the widow are novices, which is why they have been sitting there for the tourists' pleasures.
“Do you want to buy anything, Mister Silver? I know a couple of shops that sell good souvenirs,” said Rob. “That won't be necessary,” I said with a smile.
I would never take a thing made of bone home, aside from the ones from the dungeon. They are dangerous and have real consequences; they could even cost me my future.
Speaking of shopping, I have not been able to do it. Thankfully, Ina had brought most of the things we need, and the rest could be brought easily within a few hours.
She will do it.
Soon it was time to go back; I have not explored the market fully, but I do not have time. I have to return to the mansion and get ready on time for the party.
“Let’s go back to the mansion,” I said to Rob, and a few minutes later, we were carriage, moving toward the mansion.
Forty minutes later, the carriage entered the mansion.
“First have dinner, before doing the shopping,” I said to the Ina. I couldn’t take her to the party, Lancel had forbidden it in a not-so-subtle term.
So, I booked a table for her and my guards in an excellent restaurant to show my appreciation. The restaurant couldn’t be compared to the legacy, but it is good. I had dinner there, two days ago.
It is very expensive, but they deserve it.
After tipping the guide, I walked into the mansion and soon reached my suite, where I found a letter from Lancel.
I read it before I placed it back on the table and went to the room, where I showered and changed into the suit.
It is a classic black suit, and it fits me perfectly.
All that training had wiped away any excess fat I had. Now every muscle of mine is taunt and flexible.
It is also making me look quite good in this tailored suit.
I satiated my vanity for a minute before I walked out of my room and reached the parlor where Robin had been waiting for me.
“You are a handsome man, Remus,” he said as I entered the parlor. “You are not bad yourself, Robin,” I said to the man.
He is handsome in a scholarly way.
“You should tell that to my wife; she said, I have become ugly in these past few years,” he said, and I laughed before we walked out of the parlor.
As we stepped out of the mansion, we sat in the carriage that was waiting for us in front. A minute later, the carriage rolled out mansion into the city.
I looked at the city for the last time; it is my last night. I don’t know when I will be able to visit this beautiful city again.
“Do you know who Lord Lancel’s date is?” I asked. Lancel’s letter said he had found a date. It is why he is not coming with us. “I don’t know, but whoever that is, she is not from the empire,” he said, and I smiled.
Of course, she is not going to be from the empire.
Lancel had been meeting a lot of people here, people from other kingdoms. He had been open about most meetings, but some had been secret, and we are wise enough to not ask about them.
We are advisers. We do not need to know everything and trying to do that is a quick way to get fired and land in jail.
The ride passed in the conversation, and before we know it; the carriage stopped, and we got out. the moment we did, our eyes widened as the first day we have seen the city hall.
“Wow,” a word came out of my mouth as I looked at it.